Humpback Whales Produce Bubble Rings During Friendly Human Encounters
Humpback whales are producing large bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans in an apparent attempt to send messages, according to a 2025 study published in Marine Mammal Science by researchers from the SETI Institute and the University of California. The study documented 12 bubble ring-production episodes involving 39 rings made by 11 individual whales.
Researchers analyzed these voluntary interactions, which occurred when whales approached boats and swimmers. The findings expand on previous research into whale communication, including a 2021 study where scientists from the SETI Institute played whale calls through an underwater speaker to a humpback named Twain, and a 2024 study suggesting bubble-feeding calls carry specific instructions or targeted comments rather than serving merely as random pod-contact noises.
“Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators,” said co-lead author Dr. Fred Sharpe. “Now, akin to a candidate signal, we show they are blowing bubble rings in our direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe our response, and/or engage in some form of communication.”
Scientists compare these whale behaviors to the analysis of candidate signals—interesting radio waves detected from deep space that researchers study to determine origin and meaning. Marine wildlife photographer and co-lead author Jodi Frediani noted that the majority of the documented whales voluntarily approached human swimmers and vessels to generate the rings during episodes of curious behavior.
The Whale-SETI team plans to use these research results to develop filters that assist in parsing cosmic signals for potential signs of extra-terrestrial life. Researchers hope that continued observation combined with artificial intelligence will eventually enable accurate interpretation of both verbal and non-verbal communications in whales and other animals, providing techniques that could apply to signals originating from outside Earth.